Calling It Quits

02.19.13

Gen. John Allen to Retire

MANDEL NGAN/AFP

So he won't be NATO's supreme commander. Gen. John Allen officially plans to retire instead of moving forward with his nomination for the prestigious position, according to a White House statement released Tuesday. The general cited the need to care for his wife, Kathy, who suffers from a combination of chronic health problems, in his request for retirement, which President Obama said he accepted. Most recently, Allen was in the headlines for his email correspondence with Jill Kelley, a player in the David Petraeus affair.